GREENVILLE, S.C. – At the Conference Carolinas annual end of year awards banquet, Converse University was named the winner of the prestigious Body, Mind & Soul Dr. Alan Patterson Cup for the 2023-24 academic year.
"What a moment it was to hear our amazing institution's name called on Tuesday night," Converse University Director of Athletics Jenn Bell said. "After years of pursuing excellence, we are starting to see the fruits of our labor, and it is incredibly rewarding. I am so proud of the work our staff and student-athletes have put in, as we have proven that we can win championships while displaying good sportsmanship and continuing our academic success."
This is the sixth year of the Body, Mind & Soul Dr. Alan Patterson Cup, which is the ultimate comprehensive conference award given out annually. The award recognizes the member institution with the best average ranking when combining the Hawn Cup, the Sharp Award and the Messick Award.
Athletically, the Valkyries had their best finish ever in the final Hawn Cup standings, finishing fifth overall this season. This past season, the Valkyries won championships in both women's cross country and indoor women's track & field. Converse also had runner-up finishes in both men's soccer and outdoor women's track & field. The Valkyries set a new program record this year sending 18 teams to the postseason.
Individually, the Valkyries had 10 individual event champions, 69 athletes named to all-conference teams, seven athletes named to all-tournament teams, a Freshman of the Year award winner and the Women's Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
In the Messick Sportsmanship Award overall standings, the Valkyries finished fourth. In the men's standings the Valkyries finished second behind Belmont Abbey, and on the women's side, the Valkyries placed fifth. During the fall season, the women's soccer team won the Messick Sportsmanship Award, and during the winter season, the men's swim team captured the award. The Valkyries, also had top-five finishes from the men's soccer team, women's indoor track & field team, and the women's swim team.
The Alan Sharp Award is given out annually to the member institution having the highest graduation rate of student-athletes as determined by the faculty athletics representatives. Converse is the only school in the conference to have won the award on six different occasions. Once again, the Valkyries found themselves inside the top-five of the Alan Sharp Award standings.
In the classroom this year the Valkyries athletic teams excelled once again. A total of 206 athletes were named to the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll, 115 athletes earned a spot on the Dean's List, and 70 student-athletes earned Academic All-Conference accolades.
The Body, Mind & Soul Dr. Alan Patterson Cup is named after the former Conference Carolinas Commissioner. Patterson served for 32 years as the Commissioner of Conference Carolinas before retiring after the 2018-19 academic year.
The Body, Mind & Soul Dr. Alan Patterson Cup Winners
2023-24: Converse
2022-23: Belmont Abbey
2021-22: North Greenville & Southern Wesleyan
2020-21: Southern Wesleyan
2019-20: Southern Wesleyan
2018-19: North Greenville
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